Last time around, on 2007's In Rainbows, the music was just as interesting as all of the hoopla surrounding the album's impromptu, pay-what-you-will release. The King of Limbs cannot boast the same.

The 14-track set's distinguishing characteristic is a soul flavor of the Muscle Shoals variety, a smooth fit given the role of frontman Patterson Hood's father, David Hood, in that community as well as DBT's own work with Bettye LaVette and Booker T. Jones.

Martin largely shuns easy romanticism for more assertive messages that celebrate liberation and diversity, themes that can be associated with his coming out last year.

Kaputt continues Bejar's winning streak and is an early contender for indie-rock album of the year.

Deerhoof vs. Evil is more tentative than the group's best work, but its consistently dazzling musicianship carries the band as it explores different themes on a new label.

On the new collection Williams is sharp-tongued, wide-eyed and warm-hearted as she blends domestic bliss with her usual propensity toward the dark and mournful.

Cut Copy thrives when the ingredients are simple: melody, voice and its influences interpreted.

After uniting with Kings of Leon/Modest Mouse vet Jacquire King, the band has emerged with a set that's more inviting than its first but just as catchy.

Longtime fans might raise an eyebrow at the band's songs appearing in a videogame and Microsoft ad, but commercialism remains a part of Gang of Four's lyrics more than its sound.

Consider it easing into the topic at hand, which turns out to be the songstress' most intimate and soul-baring set to date.

Nestling welcomed experimentation among familiar tunes, Beam is hedging his bets with Kiss Each Other Clean.

While the sound is looser with strummed acoustic guitar, sax, autoharp and brushed drums, it contrasts sharply with Harvey's thematic adherence to war, guns, bloodshed and bleak landscapes.

A couple of tracks feature liberally processed vocals, but the singing acts less as a melodic agent than as one more source of instrumental texture.

Thompson's newest album, Bella, is a logical follow-up to his 2008 release, offering a similar mixture of folk, country and soft rock.

For its third album, Expo 86, the band tempers the musical diversity of its predecessors and focuses more on standard rock fare.

This adjunct to "Animal" is unapologetically escapist and highly programmed fun.

The casual nature of the sessions-Dylan coughs during "Blowin' in the Wind" and stops "Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" to correct a lyric, for instance-only enriches the experience.

Given Kelly's absurdly effortless melodic flair, the result certainly satisfies. But Love Letter could use more of his effortless absurdity.

Recorded with polish and pluck at Nashville's Blackbird Studio, the 11 tracks on their self-titled debut set sound like they could've been captured at any of the family picnics or church services where the Secret Sisters honed their harmonies singing Doc Watson, Everly Brothers and spirituals.

As a series of off-the-cuff side projects have shown, though, Jones' musical interests are more varied than they might appear, a fact that's demonstrated neatly on ". . . Featuring," which collects more than a dozen of her collaborations with a wide range of other acts, including Willie Nelson, Belle & Sebastian, OutKast and Foo Fighters.

A minor release for Curren$y still bests most major hip-hop releases, and this Pilot Talk sequel relishes in the rapper's expanding set of skills.

Simply put, Weezer needs to exorcise the metal demons and find a balance that works.

The rapper proves he still knows what it takes to make a solid, well-rounded album.

The Gift, the second release from famed "Britain's Got Talent" contestant Susan Boyle, is a bit of a tweener: mostly a holiday album and partly a follow-up to last year's massively successful "I Dreamed a Dream."

Needless to say, West has proved once again that he is most on point in the face of adversity.

The artists' masks are designed precisely to keep us guessing about what's going on in their heads, but who knew it was this?

While the title of the Peas' newest album, "The Beginning," might suggest a retreat from this everything-to-everyone agenda, it's everything but.

Most important, it's big fun, whether you buy into the high concept or not.